Peach Tree
by Met Guard
Summary: A collection of a few short stories involving Peach and her interactions with the rest of the Smashers. On a short hiatus - Will be back soon! Hopefully.
1. Bloom

A/N : Hooray! A story dedicated to one of my absolute favorite characters of anything, really, Princess Peach. It involves Peach's friendships with every combatant in the Smash Bros. Series. I think it'll be a good way for me to ponder about a character's personality and what they experience/have experienced as a character. They're rather short, and I'll probably update sporadically (I already am), so I'll apologize in advance for that, if it does happen. I'll try to avoid doing that, obviously. But either way, I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!

* * *

Peach Tree

Bloom

"Whew!" sighed Peach, wiping her forehead with the back of her wrist. Princess Peach had just finished planting a sapling in the Smash Mansion garden using nothing but a pot of dirt and a trowel. It was harder than she expected for fifteen minutes' worth of work.

_Thank goodness I always wear gloves. _Peach thought, surveying the dirt-stained ring on her gloves. _I'd better clean my ring._

Peach walked back into the mansion. She said a cheery hello to anyone that she passed by, as well as attracting quite a few stares at her earth-covered dress in the hallways. Thankfully, Peach had managed to make it to her room without being questioned. Peach's room was on the second floor, and overlooked the courtyard, located adjacent to the garden. Opening up her wardrobe, she changed into a cleaner, pinker dress, along with new gloves, placing her ring on her nightstand. Sitting in front of her vanity, Peach took off her crown and started to brush her long blond hair, trying to get bits of dirt out of it.

As she stared blankly at her reflection, Peach thought to herself : _It feels so good to do something other than fighting while living here. _She frowned for a moment, placing the brush back on the table. _It just... doesn't feel like me. Fighting, and all that. I mean, I can pack a punch if I wanted to, but... Oh, why did I agree to join again in the first place?_

She stood up. Peach walked outside to her balcony, and leaned on the rail. Out in the garden, she could see a multitude of Smashers doing whatever their willy-nilly minds were thinking of. Peach had already memorized which locations each Smasher prefers the best in the courtyard. She watched Ness showing Lucas a yo-yo trick while standing on a park bench. Link and Zelda were not, she noticed, talking behind the fuchsias as they usually did, but rather sitting out in the open, enjoying a spot of tea with an out-of-place Ganondorf, who was scowling and confused. Toon Link was giving a small music performance to the Ice Climbers, Diddy, Pikachu, and Jigglypuff, whom were all listening intently but with glazed looks on their faces.

Overall, the courtyard was a lively place, but Peach still preferred the gardens over it. She could never get tired of looking at the trees and flowers, plus it gave her something to look forward to when Spring arrived. After a few more moments of observing the people in the courtyard, Peach started to feel bored. Wondering about what she should do, her eyes lit up when she noticed the clock in her room was nearing twelve.

"Well then, I guess I'll go do some cooking," Peach declared, talking to no one in particular. She turned away from the balcony. "And then I'll check up on the little sapling I just planted..."

* * *

"Food's on!" shouted Peach, having finished with making lunch. To make sure that everyone had heard, Peach took a wooden mallet on the kitchen table and whacked it against a large gong, its echo resounding throughout all of the mansion. Choruses of cheers and relieved groans of hunger rang between the halls.

"I'll be coming down in a minute!"

"Hooray!"

"Finally, I'm starving!"

The princess smiled as most of the seats in the cramped dining room were filled within a matter of minutes. Standing up, she proudly presented them a feast fit for a pack of Piranha Plants, snapping her fingers as lids popped open to reveal an extravagant amount of hot and cold dishes. Without needing encouragement, chaos unfolded as the Smashers heavily dove into the food.

* * *

After lunch was over, Peach washed the dishes, with a bit of help from Pikachu and Pichu. Needless to say, the dishes took a longer time washing than they usually did. Thanking the two Pokémon for their help when they were done, Peach trotted out of the kitchen and into the garden, searching for her newly-planted sapling.

_I remember that I planted it somewhere near the daisies..._ Peach recalled, fluffing her hair to remove the static.

She suddenly smiled a great big smile when she found the sapling protruding from the ground near the back of the garden, right next to a small pond. She hastily ran over to it. Peach knew that the sapling wouldn't grow in a matter of a few hours, but she still wanted to check up on it just to make sure it looked like it's in a comfortable position, receiving sunlight while being saturated by the nearby pond. Peach's smile fell slightly when she noticed a lone person was standing right next to her sapling, gazing down at it.

A man in a space suit slowly looked up. The man was rather short, even though he was crouching he'd probably not gain much in height if he stood up. He had gloves on, as well as a large, round space helmet around his head, with a tipped antenna coming out from the top of it. His head only had a few tufts of hair on it, and his nose was round and bulbous, similar to a certain red-capped plumber's.

"O... Olimar...?" said a bewildered Peach.

The spaceman responded with the tiniest of nods. Suddenly, he bowed, the antenna drooping over the side of his helmet as he did so, and walked away. This left Peach feeling even more confused. Watching Olimar as he walked away, Peach wondered...

* * *

Peach was not scheduled for any battles for the next week or so. The encounter with Olimar was wiped clean from her mind. She spent her extra time cleaning up the Mansion, making sure every appliance was in tip-top shape, and mopped the floors until they were spotless. After she had finished with all of her cleaning duties, Peach flopped onto the bed in her rooms headfirst in a very unladylike manner. Taking in the flowery scent of her blankets for a few minutes, Peach then took off her crown and began to polish it using a stray handkerchief.

Peach sighed wearily. "I don't see why I polish my crown every day... Every time I finish a match, my crown ends up all bent and crooked. At least I don't have any matches this week. Hm... It was a good idea of mine to have the jewels be made of acrylic, but no one should need to know about that..."

Glancing out of her balcony window, Peach said to herself, "I think I'll go for a stroll in the garden. I haven't been there in a few days, plus it should be pretty empty right about now..."

Slipping into a fluffy pink cardigan, Peach dashed out of the room to look at the blooming flowers. Even though it was summer, many of the flowers were still blooming, pollen dust floating gently through the air. The persimmon tree, the goldenrods, and even the red roses; they were all still in bloom. Peach loved the way flowers bloomed. She always reveled during the moment a flower-bud opened up to reveal a pure, blooming blossom. Remembering about her sapling, Peach walked over to the pond and stopped behind a willow tree. On some odd impulse, she didn't want to step near her sapling; Peach opted to tilt a tree branch slightly to peek at it instead. Peach's heart skipped a beat when she spotted a person gazing down at her sapling. This scene felt so familiar to her...

_Olimar? Why is he here? _wondered Peach. The expression on the man's face was one of calm, passive contemplation. _Now that I think about it, didn't he visit the garden a few days ago?_

_Does Olimar also like nature? I've never really spoken to him... _Peach realized. _I don't know him at all. Oh dear, I can't believe that I'm spying on him... _Peach added guiltily, a frown on her face. Olimar did not seem to notice her presence as she peeked at him. He just kept on staring at the slowly growing sapling, crouching with his hands on his thighs.

Right then and there, Peach made a decision. She stepped to the side of the willow tree and was in plain sight. The absorbed spaceman's attention was finally captured. It was an awkward moment of silence in which Peach and Olimar stared at each other, neither of them daring to move. Peach's blond ponytail fluttered slightly in the wind.

"Ah... Hello, Olimar," Peach said, who had the dignity to blush. "I was just... taking a stroll." And indeed she was, but her hesitant tone of voice clashed with that statement.

Olimar stared blankly at her for a few seconds. Then, he bowed. As he turned to leave, Peach called after him, "Wait, Olimar!"

He walked another step or two before turning around. Peach continued on hurriedly, "Would... would you like to have a cup of tea with me?"

* * *

"So, Olimar, what brought you to the garden today?"

Peach and Olimar were sitting down at the same lawn-table that Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf had sat at a week ago in the courtyard. Both of them were enjoying a cup of hot, steaming tea, set with their own saucers. Peach had baked a few crumpets and scones as well, and laid them in the center of the table for them to take. They were all alone in the garden. The other Smashers were watching the match between Fox and King Dedede, or they simply had matters to do elsewhere. Peach poured a bit of tea into Olimar's teacup, looking at him expectantly.

The princess' eager smile faltered slightly when Olimar looked down at his feet, as if shy. Peach just realized that she had never heard Olimar utter a word; not even once. She had only heard him whistle, when he was calling his Pikmin back to his side during battles.

_Does he know how to talk? I'm sure that he does... _Peach thought with a worried expression.

Olimar seemed to sense her – as well as his – uneasiness, as he gently tapped the side of his helmet.

"Eh?" Peach was baffled.

Olimar repeated the action again, a little harder this time. His head shook slightly from the impact. He then made a whistling motion, then shrugged his shoulders.

Peach was never really any good at charades. She tried to grasp the point of what he was trying to say, though. "Um... You want to make a bird call?" she guessed.

Olimar shook his head. He made a writing gesture. Peach took out her drawstring purse and handed him a pen and writing pad. Olimar hastily scribbled a few words onto the pad and handed it back to her. In slanted, cursive handwriting, it read :

_Thank you._

_I cannot speak due to the fact that no sounds can pass through my glass helmet._

_However, that is only by the sounds of my own voice._

_I can hear everything going on outside crystal clear._

_I wish I could speak to you, but writing seems to be the only way of conveying my thoughts to others._

The flow of incoming words startled Peach, who had thought Olimar was completely silent due to his somewhat introverted personality. Handing him back the pad, she replied, "Can't you take your helmet off, then?"

Olimar wrote a few more words down. He lifted the pad up. Peach read :

_Oxygen gas is poisonous to beings of my kind._

_That is why I cannot take off my helmet._

"Oh... That's definitely a good reason that you can't take off your helmet, then," Peach said with a chuckle. Olimar looked confused. Peach patted him on the back with a grin. "I thought you didn't take it off because you had vision problems, or perhaps you had very severe allergies."

Those remarks made Olimar feel even more disoriented. Peach waved a hand to brush away the impact of her words, seemingly oblivious to his confusion. Repeating her original question, she asked him, "So, what brought you here visiting the garden, instead of watching the match today, Olimar?"

Olimar wrote slowly this time, as if choosing his words carefully. His note read :

_Seeing flowers and trees reminds me of my home..._

_It has been so long since I have returned to my planet, Hocotate._

_One gets nostalgic at times..._

_I apologize if I seem to have acted strange to you by gazing at your peach sapling._

_It is growing wonderfully, by the way._

_I can see that you give it a lot of care._

Peach was touched. "Thank you, Olimar. I do pride myself in my gardening work! Especially my begonias," Peach said proudly. "Is there a lot of vegetation on your home planet?" she added as an afterthought.

He replied :

_No._

_My planet is, for the most part, barren and does not have much vegetation._

_As for why seeing plants makes me feel at ease, despite rarely seeing any on my home planet, it is because –_

The note stopped there, but Peach didn't need to read any further. She glanced up at Olimar, whose face was hidden behind the notepad. She said, "It reminds you of Pikmin, right? The Pikmin of yours have a leaf-like protrusion coming out from the top of their head, which eventually grows into a flower, am I correct?"

Olimar gave her a hesitant nod. Flipping to the next page, Olimar wrote :

_It is not as if I view the Pikmin as plants._

_They are my companions._

_They've always followed me, tried their best for me, and listened._

_All the while not asking for anything in return._

_Without them, I –_

The note ended abruptly again, but like before, Peach didn't have to read it to the end. She looked at Olimar, who had set the notepad down on the table. With a faint smile, she said, "Oh, there's no need. I understand completely."

Olimar gave her a look that asked, "Do you really?". Peach didn't quite catch the meaning behind his look. Peach sipped a bit of tea from her teacup. Helping herself to a scone, she said after she had swallowed a bite, "Would you like one? I baked them myself."

Right after she offered him, Peach immediately wanted to revoke her words. "Oh, I'm sorry... I forgot that you can't take your helmet off... And right after you told me why, too!" Peach looked ashamed with herself. She had just noticed now that she had also never seen Olimar at the dinner table, nor the lunch and breakfast tables when it was time to eat. She never wondered how Olimar could eat without taking off his helmet until now.

Olimar shook his head again, but this time, he had a smile on his face. He took a crumpet, much to Peach's surprise, and put it on top of his antenna. Suddenly, magically, the antenna absorbed the crumpet as it flowed down the wire and landed right on top of his head. Shirking his arm out of the armsaye, Olimar took the crumpet off the top of his head and bit into it, a look of delight on his face. Peach's ashamed expression changed into one of amusement when Olimar silently explained to her how he eats.

Peach asked him, "Is it good?"

Olimar gave her an affirmative nod. When Peach's mouth opened, Olimar lifted up a finger. Olimar took his teacup off of its saucer, and like before, poured a small bit of its contents into the antenna. Craning his head back, the tea steadily dripped from the top of his helmet right into his mouth. A strange way of eating, Peach thought, but at least it prevented any oxygen from entering his system.

_Olimar is rather an entertaining person. _Peach thought. _I wonder why he never decided to converse with the others, even without being able to talk, he could have at least tried to communicate with the rest of the Smashers..._

Peach studied Olimar. His small, beady eyes were capable of showing more emotion than people might think. His choice of words showed that he was an educated, refined individual. She noticed that Olimar didn't have any Pikmin with him today. Now that she thought about it, he didn't have any a week ago when she first caught him near her sapling. How odd.

_Wow, I'm slow. I should have noticed he didn't have any Pikmin with him sooner. _She wondered why Olimar didn't have any Pikmin. He was usually inseparable from them, unless he had to toss them in the middle of a fight. _In the few times when I've seen him around when he's not fighting, he didn't have any Pikmin with him either._

Peach pondered on this for a minute, taking a sip from her own teacup. Olimar was enjoying another crumpet.

_Maybe it's for the better. _Peach thought while refilling Olimar's cup with tea. _He must feel devastated to see his friends disappear soon after he plucks them... But being alone the remainder of the time must also be quite saddening..._

A loud cheer was suddenly heard from the next wall over.

"The match must be almost over," Peach thought aloud.

_Is that the reason why Olimar is hesitant to open up? Because he might be afraid that because we're his friends, we'll be used by him? Friends are willing to sacrifice for you, don't they? _Peach wondered. _Maybe I'm over-thinking things._

_I guess I don't understand his situation completely after all. But... _Peach took a glance at Olimar, who was watching a pair of starlings tweeting in the branches of an olive tree. _There must be some way to do so, to get him to open up. Hm... how about...?_

"Say, Olimar," said Peach, after a moment's consideration. Olimar turned to look at her. "How about thinking of helping me create a flower garden?"

Olimar raised one of his eyebrows. Peach got up from her seat. Looking back at him, Peach continued, "I mean, I know we have a lot of flower gardens already here in the Garden. But we could always use one more."

She grabbed Olimar's hand, and tugged him out of his seat. Olimar was startled. He mouthed something as he let himself be dragged away by the princess. Peach didn't have to be a master at charades to be able to tell what he was trying to say.

Spinning around once on her foot as well as Olimar in the air, Peach told him with a smile, "Why are we creating one? Why, to see the flowers open up and bloom in spring, of course!"

* * *

A/N : There's the first chapter! Peach gets to learn a little more about Olimar, who for the most part is practically silent and keeps to himself mostly, in my opinion. While it is true that Olimar makes daily monologues on his adventures, no one has actually heard him talk, and well, I guess I stretched it a bit. But your voice really can't be understood if you're wearing a fish bo – I mean, a helmet, as your voice gets slurred.

Originally I had wanted to stage the scenes where Olimar does not talk at all, even by writing... I guess I'll try one of those completely dialogue-free chapters later on, then.

Yeah, I ended this rather abruptly... But it's a start. Sort of. I'll try to incorporate a bit more liveliness into the next few chapters, and try to add a dash of humor on too. I have a dreadful taste of humor.

Hope you enjoyed, and I hope I can update!

Oh, and here's a hint on the character focused on the next chapter : An alternate costume


	2. The Royal Treatment

Peach Tree

The Royal Treatment

It was that dreaded, horrible day at Smash Mansion. The day that everyone doesn't enjoy, and always spends the night before losing sleep over it. On the first day of every month, Dr. Mario made his rudimentary check-ups on all of the combatants and inhabitants of Smash Mansion. With a doctor's mirror, stethoscope, and white lab coat, this (Ex) Smasher did not have to be on the battlefield to be feared.

Outside of the infirmary, a long line of hesitant, sweating Smashers were backed against the wall. None of them talked to one another, each instead mumbling words of assurance to themselves. The Smashers could only wait in fear until their names were called.

"Lucas! You may come in!" Dr. Mario's voice rang out. Lucas jumped up, tripped and landed on his knee when he was called. Tears forming in his eyes, Lucas turned to look at the other Smashers, crying out a silent plead for help. No one dared to look at him.

"LUCAS!" shouted the voice again. Lucas hastily stumbled into the infirmary, and as soon as he did so, the door was slammed. The people nearest to the door could hear Dr. Mario yelling, "Good gracious! Lucas, this injury is as fresh as a steamed pot pie! Did you just trip a few seconds ago?"

Fifteen minutes later, Lucas came out of the infirmary with a full-body cast. His eyes were dull and blank, and he merely walked down the hallway without looking at anyone, moving like a zombie and wrapped like a mummy.

"Luigi! You're next!" Dr. Mario called. Luigi was the Smasher that was trembling the most. He took itty-bitty steps towards the door, making groaning sounds as he did so. After about a minute or so of this, Marth, who was next in line, got fed up and shoved Luigi into the room, much to his dismay. As soon as Luigi shut the door behind him, he screamed an ear-splitting shriek. Everyone outside covered their ears. They did not want to know what entailed the details of Dr. Mario's check-up.

Twenty minutes later, the door of the infirmary swung wide open. Steam poured out, causing everyone to cough in discomfort. A silhouette of Luigi appeared amidst the smoke, and after it cleared, it revealed a shocking sight. Luigi's mustache was... trimmed. Trimmed so much that it looked exactly like the mustache of his older brother, and Dr. Mario himself. Peach gasped. He was barely recognizable. All because of that mustache. Looking as though he was scarred for life, Luigi walked down the hallway with the same expression as Lucas, but was otherwise unscathed.

Next was Marth. Marth was more dignified than the two before him, and as such, he walked into the door with just a grim look on his face.

Meanwhile, Olimar, who was four spots down the line, tugged on the hem of Peach's dress, the patient after him. Peach, who was worried like all of the other patients, flinched when Olimar tugged on her dress. She looked down, and saw Olimar holding up a notepad. He had recently been using the notepad to communicate with the Smashers, and even better than simply writing words, he could draw pictures as well to convey his emotions better. The page read :

_The doctor takes patients by alphabetical order, correct?_

_If that is so, then why is it that Mario is exempted from the examinations?_

Fair Princess Peach put a gloved hand to her chin as she tried to answer his question. After a few seconds, she answered, "Well... Um... There's a lot I could say about that, Olimar. Mario probably got a doctor's slip that allowed him to be exempted. That or he's on plumbing duty."

Ness, who was in front of Olimar and overheard the conversation, said, "Olimar, don't you know that Dr. Mario is just – "

Ness was cut short when Mr. Game & Watch suddenly whacked a bell on his head. Ness gave a shout of pain and crouched on the floor, rubbing his head.

"Ignore him," Meta Knight told Olimar and Peach. "Ness can be a bit psychotic at times..."

"META KNIGHT!" shouted the voice from inside the infirmary. As Dr. Mario called for Meta Knight, Marth stepped out of the door with an unusually chipper smile and hop to his step. The rest of the Smashers could only stare as Marth literally sparkled while he walked down the hall.

"At least one person managed to escape Dr. Mario's strict regime," Peach stated with a rather foolish grin.

* * *

After Olimar had exited the infirmary with a space collar around his neck, Peach hesitantly stepped into the infirmary once Dr. Mario called her name. Even though Peach liked to dabble in first aid here and there, she was still apprehensive of what doctors were capable of.

The first thing Peach noticed when she stepped into the infirmary was that it was shining. Every surface and counter was polished, the floor was waxed and slippery, and not a speck of dust floated in the air. A framed diploma was hanging above an examination table. As much as she admired it, Peach couldn't help but feel a little bit envious. She never managed to get things _this_ clean while she maintained the mansion. Peach found Dr. Mario sitting at his worktable, checking off something on a clipboard. When she stepped in, Dr. Mario swiveled around his chair and took notice of the nervous princess.

"Ah, there you are, Princess Peach. Are we ready for your check-up?" asked Dr. Mario, adjusting a pair of spectacles on his nose.

Dr. Mario was very similar to Mario in terms of appearance. While Dr. Mario has never been seen under his lab coat, it was safe to assume that Dr. Mario was merely an alter ego of Mario. The brown hair that was usually hid under a cap, the bulbous nose, and the fine mustache were all facial qualities that he shared with the red plumber. Mario had never been seen actually slipping into the lab coat, however, so it was not proven that Dr. Mario and Mario were one and the same person. Not to mention the two had rather different personalities. For one thing, Dr. Mario actually spoke quite a bit, unlike Mario, who typically tries to avoid speaking.

"I'm sure you are. After all, you were my assistant once before, correct?" Dr. Mario reconfirmed, motioning for Peach to sit on the exam table. "Not to mention that I've examined you before in the Mushroom Kingdom."

Peach took a seat on the exam table. The wax paper under her crackled with every movement that she made. Dr. Mario then took her vitals. Blood pressure, normal. Temperature, normal. He examined her hearing, vision, and tongue using a tongue depressor. He checked her lungs and blood flow with his stethoscope. Finally, he ended the check-up by asking Peach if she had any allergies or unusual problems recently, of which she answered negatively. The check-up complete, Dr. Mario sat back down in his office chair and ticked off a few more things on his clipboard.

"It looks like you're completely fine," Dr. Mario concluded. "You seem to be very healthy."

"A-Am I?" stuttered Peach disbelievingly. She was expecting something worse. "Oh, that's such a relief."

"Yes, yes, all is well. Remember to come back next month," Dr. Mario said as he bid her adieu with a wave of his hand. "Please tell Pikachu that he can come in."

Peach smiled and nodded. Before closing the door, however, Peach peeked over the side of it. "Um, doctor?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Thanks for being a doctor."

Dr. Mario raised one of his eyebrows. He explained to her, "It's my job."

Peach stepped back inside. "You could leave at any time, though. I don't mean to offend you, but no one is forcing you to stay. I mean, with you being retired as a Smasher and all that..."

The doc raised his other eyebrow this time. With a rare chuckle, he said, "Well, it's my responsibility to make sure you all are in tip-top shape. After all, all of you Smashers are battering each other up on the field everyday, right? It'd be a shame if one of you suffered a serious casualty. Not to mention the suffering my conscience will go through if I don't stay."

"Yes, well... That makes sense. I apologize for delaying you," Peach said. "Thank you, doctor. I'll go call Pikachu right now."

"No need," Dr. Mario told her. He took a deep breath.

Knowing what was going to come next, Peach bolted out of the door.

With all of the energy he could muster, Dr. Mario bellowed, "PIK-A-CHU!"

While Peach was walking down the hallway, she thought to herself, _Oh, darn. I forgot to ask the doctor about the Mario business. Oh well._ She decided not to worry about it and skipped happily down the hall.

* * *

At the end of the day, Dr. Mario's lab coat, doctor's mirror, and stethoscope could be seen hung up in his wardrobe. A clipboard sat on his worktable. Down the long list of Smashers' names, there were two empty check boxes. One of them was Mario. The other one was Luigi.

* * *

A/N : That's it for this chapter. A bit shorter this time. So, what's the relationship between Dr. Mario and Peach? Well, simply put, Dr. Mario is Peach's doctor. That's pretty much it. Sorry for the lack of comedy. And that last bit? Well, that's always been a little idea of mine...

Here's the hint on the character in the next chapter : Bombs away

Hope you enjoyed, and I hope I update!


	3. Miss Fortune

JazzGirl123 : I'm glad you enjoyed it. Peach is also one of my favorite characters to use too. I may think about doing a Peach/Marth pairing sometime, but romance isn't really in my genre of writing.

The Legend of Rune Factory : Thanks for the compliment! I'm very grateful. I doubt that this is really one of the best things you've ever read, there are so many better stories out there and my grammar isn't very good (Unlike classics)... Thanks again for the review! ^^

Sonar : Thanks! Olimar doesn't get much love, does he?

Thanks for all the reviews! Here's another chapter. ^^

* * *

Peach Tree

Miss Fortune

_Crash!_

_Splash!_

"Oh, no! I am so sorry!"

Toon Link was sitting in his dressing room, getting ready for his music rehearsal as the choral director. He was just about to whip out his Wind Waker to practice when someone interrupted him. That 'someone' was none other than Princess Peach, who came in to try and relax him right before the performance.

"I'll clean it up right away!" said the worried princess, walking over to him.

And now he was covered in iced tea. How did it happen? Well...

* * *

"Toon Link, are you in there? I thought you might need a refreshment..." came the voice of Princess Peach from outside his studio door.

Toon Link rolled his eyes exasperatedly, his hand already halfway in his pocket reaching for the magical baton. He took it out and shouted, "Come in! The door's unlocked."

"I'm coming in!" replied Peach, as a small click from the door was heard.

"Okay, but be careful when – "

Toon Link didn't get a chance to finish. As soon as Peach came in, bearing a tray with a tall, full glass of iced-tea, she tripped over a thick wire right outside of the doorway. The tray slipped from her grip, and was tossed into the air. Like in a cartoon or movie sequence, an imaginary camera in the dressing room zoomed in on the rising tray, and slowed the footage as the tray dropped from its apex and landed right on top of our surly green hero.

_Crash._

_Splash._

"Oh, no! I am so sorry!"

That's how it happened.

Peach was already standing next to him and wiping his face when Toon Link was trying to register what had just happened. Even though Peach was a bit of a ditz, she sure could make quick recoveries. Toon Link could only push Peach's frantic hands away in discomfort a few seconds later while mumbling, "I'm fine, I'm fine!"

Peach backed away and placed her hands on her hips. She had a very stern look on her face, one that made Toon Link stop fussing immediately when he saw it.

"No, you're _not_. Really, Toon Link, look at yourself! You're completely soaked!" said Peach indignantly, wringing her hands around. "I'm sorry, Toon Link, but you'll just have to bear with me for a bit!"

Toon Link's eyes widened when Peach was walking toward him, a concentrated look of determination on her face with her hands grasping the air. With a small 'urk', Toon Link was pushed out of his chair and onto the floor, where Peach was suddenly trying to take off his clothes.

"You need to change into a new pair of clothes! You can't go out like this with your tunic soaked with iced-tea!" Peach huffed, a malevolent gleam in her eyes. "Good thing I always keep some extra garments on me!"

Roy's head popped into the dressing room. When he saw the spillage of tea on the ground, overturned chairs and tables, and an arrow that whizzed past his ear, all while noticing Peach was wrestling with a shirtless Toon Link on the floor, he immediately backed out of the room and closed the door shut.

Adjusting the mic on his ear, he stated uncomfortably into it, "T-Toon Link is almost ready for the rehearsal, sir. And so is Peach..."

"Peach? Is she in there with Toon Link?" a voice on the other end replied. When Roy didn't respond, the voice continued, "Well, it's no matter. Get back to the stage, Roy. It looks like we're having some trouble setting up the stage lights."

* * *

"Peach can be so annoying sometimes," muttered Toon Link, whose hair was dried and neatly combed and was dressed in a fine suit and tie. "I know she means well, but she always manages to mess things up..."

He sighed. Toon Link looked at the mirror. He saw a growing child, dressed for success staring back at him. And yet, the expression on his face showed nervousness, agitation. The face of someone that had to endure many hardships. The face of someone that had to go on an adventure to save his best friend. The face of a twelve year-old boy plagued with stage fright and was worried about his next rehearsal.

_It's just a rehearsal, _he thought to himself. _It's not like it's the real performance..._

Toon Link glanced at the iced-tea placed on a round end-table by the door. Peach had ordered someone to sweep up the broken glass and had mopped up the remaining tea, and put another not-as-filled glass of iced-tea in his room.

_She doesn't give up, that's for sure._ Toon Link thought when he got up from his chair and walked over to the table. Beside the glass there was a small note. Surrounded by hearts, it read, :

_I'm so sorry about the tea. Here's another glass._

_Try your best, Toon Link!_

– _Peach _

Toon Link scoffed at this. He started to crumple up the note and was going to toss it away, but decided not to do so at the last second. He tossed the crumpled note onto his studio vanity, where it landed on the corner of the stringed white lights bordering the edges of the mirror. With an air of indifference, Toon Link took a sip from the glass.

_Refreshing, _Toon Link thought. He took another sip. _Hm... it tastes like peaches._

Toon Link stared into the glass suspiciously. Then, shrugging, he downed the glass in a few gulps. Panting, he slammed the glass back down onto the table and wiped the dribble from his mouth.

"Puaaahhh!" Toon Link moaned in relief. He looked back at the note on the table.

_Try your best, huh?_ Toon Link thought, taking out the Wind Waker from the inside pocket of his suit. He waved the baton around, sparkles trailing it in the air as he did so.

The speakerphone in his room suddenly buzzed, causing Toon Link to spin around in alarm. After a moment or so, a young voice said, "Toon Link, please get ready. The rehearsal is going to start in a few minutes after preparations are complete."

Quickly putting back the baton inside his suit, Toon Link adjusted the stuffy collar around his neck and made minor adjustments to his tie. Taking a deep breath, and throwing out two thumbs-up to himself in the mirror, he exited his room and headed backstage.

* * *

Toon Link could see every Smasher not on the directing team chatting behind the curtain, wearing the exact same outfits. Everyone was making their final adjustments for the chorus rehearsal, which starred most of the Smashers, save for those few serious – and one not so serious – ones. Toon Link saw Peach chatting animatedly with Zelda and Samus, but turned and gave him a little wave with an apologetic expression on her face when he came in. He jumped when someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Whoops, sorry for surprising you!" It was Jigglypuff. She had a red bandana tied around her head, as well as having a microphone receiver on. She was carrying a clipboard with a pen docked behind one of her ears. "Toon Link, you're here! We're going to start in a few minutes, so just chill a bit and we'll be starting the show."

Toon Link nodded, not wanting to say much. Jigglypuff smiled at him and left, leaving Toon Link standing awkwardly by himself. Toon Link headed closer to the curtains. He decided that he wanted to take a quick peek at the audience outside. With a quick flip, the miniature hero of time stuck his head outside the curtains.

He immediately wished he hadn't. Outside, the seats were completely filled. In the front row, Crazy and Master Hand occupied three seats each, tapping their fingers impatiently against the floor. Behind them sat Snake, Lucario, Wario, Ganondorf, Bowser, Meta Knight, Mewtwo, and Wolf. Even though it was a rehearsal, it was a full house tonight; the rest of the seats were occupied by the Assist Trophies and a few other minor characters. Toon Link gulped; he couldn't imagine how full it would be when the actual performance arrived. When Isaac noticed Toon Link peeking from the side of the stage and began to point at him, Toon Link yelped and quickly removed his head from the hole. Breathless, he started to turn back to the backstage when he noticed a spotlight was suddenly focused on him, the other lights darkening causing screams and shrieks of surprise to be emitted.

_Whizz._

_Craaaash!_

In a gruesome twist of events, a large stage light fell from the ceiling and landed right next to Toon Link, its glass shattering into a million pieces. Toon Link yelled an inaudible sound and dove away from the impact, performing a neat somersault. Everyone turned and gasped, as smoke billowed from the explosion and the lights returned back on to normal.

"Holy..." was all Toon Link could say after looking back at the demolished stage light. The members of the Smash chorus quickly ran over to see if he was alright.

"ARE. OH. BEE. Robotic Operating Buddy!" screamed a voice from behind the anxious crowd around Toon Link. Once again, it was Jigglypuff. She was certainly aggravated. Her face was certainly puffed up, and the tail of her bandana fluttered behind her head in fury. "How many times do I have to tell you to be careful when setting up the stage lights! You could have hurt someone!"

_Hurt? _Toon Link thought skeptically. _You should be glad I wasn't killed!_

"Argh, sorry about that, Toon Link. Are you hurt?" Jigglypuff asked him, leaning over and staring at him with her large round eyes. Toon Link shook his head. "Whew. That's good. We're still going to start on schedule, so hurry and splash your face if you're still shocked, okay?"

Still not able to respond with words, he only nodded.

* * *

Toon Link took her advice. He came out of the washroom feeling more refreshed, but was just as anxious as before. The calling bell rang right as he reached the stage. Everyone took their places. Some of the Smashers patted Toon Link on the back gently and murmured a few words of comfort before they passed through the curtains. Toon Link wasn't reassured at all, however.

He repeated to himself, "It's just a rehearsal. It's just a rehearsal. It's just a rehearsal..."

Each time he repeated the phrase his voice became feebler. Toon Link realized that he didn't have faith in himself. He knew he was going to screw up. After all, with all of the accidents that happened today, what else could go wrong?

_Everything, _Toon Link thought truthfully. _Everything can go wrong._

_Vwoosh._

_Splash!_

_"Oh, no! I am so sorry!"_

_...  
_

"_Try your best, Toon Link!"_

_Vwoosh._

_That's strange... Why did that just flash through my mind just now...?_ Toon Link thought to himself.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. He stepped out onto the stage, and was greeted by cheers and claps from the audience. The choral director gave the crowd a weak smile. Toon Link climbed onto the raised platform set in front of the Smashers, whom were all lined up in two rows in an arc-like fashion. The Wind Waker in his hand was trembling. He didn't know if it was the Wind Waker that was moving or his own hand that shook. Regardless, Toon Link tapped his foot to a rat-a-tat beat and vigorously plunged into the performance, a chorus of voices plunging in with him.

He knew one thing that he wanted after the show was over, something that propelled him to do his best as the choral director, even on this rehearsal. What Toon Link wanted was a freshly brewed iced-tea.

* * *

A/N : And there's Toon Link! Bet a lot of you guessed that one. Poor him, I knew how much I struggled with singing in chorus... I always get stage fright, and that ends up with me being out of sync with the others. But Peach seems to have comforted him nicely, right? (Plus Toon Link had to be the conductor, or choral director or whatever you want to call it. I had it easy!) Peach didn't seem to play much of a part this chapter. :|

I tried to not have Toon Link talk all that much, to keep him slightly in character. Did I succeed? Not likely. I tend to put a lot of monologues in...

Anyhoo, that does it for this chapter.

_Next character clue : In Peach's heart_

Hope you enjoyed, and I hope I update!

By the way... Iced-Tea trumps Lon-Lon Milk. It's a fact.


	4. Time Flies

Sorry for not being as personal this time, but I really do appreciate all of the reviews! Thanks a lot, emmy, JazzGirl123, Sweswe, and MonkeyKingXIII! I hope you all enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

Peach Tree

Time Flies

_Beep!_

_Beep!_

_Beep!_

An alarm clock was ringing obnoxiously on a shaking nightstand. From under the blankets, there was a groan before a hand emerged and bopped the alarm clock on its head, if somewhat lazily. The beeping ceased. The hand retreated back under the blankets, the person under them pulling it tighter above their head. After a few minutes of silence, the blankets rustled and were suddenly thrown off.

Out popped an auburn head. The figure yawned, opening his mouth wide and stretched his arms and back. Smacking his lips and gazing drowsily around the room, he got off the side of his bed and walked over to the drawn curtains.

In one fluid motion, the figure yanked back the curtains, letting in powerful rays of sunshine. The sunlight shone brilliantly and its luminosity reflected throughout all of the white surfaces in the room. But what seemed to be even more august was the set of unfolded wings that took up the space of the window. They were pearly, luxurious, sinewy; they were pristine. He covered his eyes with his forearm, squinting out into the sky.

Pit was an angel. Pit was the captain of the goddess Palutena's army, and one of her top bodyguards. While he certainly didn't look to fit the part, what with his messy auburn hair, eyes that reflected childish eagerness in daily life, and the body of a young adult, his mind was full of clever tactics and adventuring tips acquired from his previous processions.

He smacked his lips, blinking his eyes groggily, still blinded by the flood of incoming sunlight. He went into the washroom to brush his teeth and to relieve himself. Coming out with his wings a bit perkier, the angel walked over to his dresser, where a laurel and other accessories were laid on top. Pit snatched and put the golden laurel on top of his head, and dressed himself in his uniform and armlets. As he buckled his boots, Pit glanced at his alarm clock. It read 12:30.

"12:30...?" he mumbled tiredly. "It's noon already?"

Pit finally took out the last and most important piece of his equipment, which hung right above and between his bedposts : Palutena's Bow. As one of the Three Sacred treasures Pit managed to secure from Medusa, it was obviously invaluable and had very high stored potential.

"Better skip breakfast and go straight for lunch, then," Pit decided, sheathing the separable halves of the bow securely under his waist.

* * *

Princess Peach was cooking in the kitchen, as usual. After all, it was almost time for lunch! She had over thirty mouths to feed, which meant that she had to start cooking quite early if she wanted to keep lunch on time. Add her chores on top of cooking and you can guess that this self-sustaining princess wakes up quite early in the morning; six o'clock, to be exact.

"Ladida..." Peach hummed to herself while she diced some tomatoes. She was making a tomato sauce to accompany the spaghetti she had made earlier.

Pit shuffled in into the kitchen, his wings enveloping around him slightly. The rustling of his wings caused Peach to look up. She placed her knife down.

"Good afternoon, Princess Peach."

"Oh, Pit! Good afternoon to you too! I was wondering when you would wake up," greeted Peach, walking over to the fridge. Pit yawned. "Are you hungry?"

He nodded. Peach smiled. She pulled out a covered plate with pancakes from the top shelf of the fridge. "I put aside a few extra pancakes in case anyone woke up late."

She microwaved the pancakes and got out some syrup. Pit took a seat. Peach poured a glass of milk and slid it across the table to him.

"Thanks, Peach."

"You're very welcome."

She resumed slicing her tomatoes, scooping a few stray bits and dumping them into a bowl. Pit ate his pancakes with a stuffed mouth, taking an occasional sip of milk every now and then. Once he had finished, Pit picked up his dishes and dropped them into the sink.

"Oh, Pit, I can take care of that," interrupted Peach, who saw Pit taking out a sponge.

Pit refused. "No, it's the least I can do, for those delicious pancakes that you made."

Peach beamed, her positive energy radiating from her in waves. "I'm so glad! I put in a few blueberries in there too today."

"...I noticed. A very nice addition."

Once Pit finished washing his dishes, he was about to exit the door, until Peach called him back.

"Ah, Pit!" called Peach, putting back down her knife onto the cutting board.

Pit turned around. "...Mm?"

"I was wondering, if it's not too much trouble..."

"Yeah?"

Peach's eyes shifted away from him. She looked nervous, hesitant. Unclasping her tomato-juice covered hands, she spluttered, "Could you... perhaps... take me on a flying trip sometime?"

"F-Flying?" Pit was taken aback, but recovered his stance almost immediately. "Uh... Sure, I'd love to take you flying sometime, but..."

Peach was overjoyed. She had already come over to hug him, staining his white uniform with red hand prints.

"Oh, thank you, Pit!"

With a bit of an effort, Pit managed to push Peach off of him. Peach was confused. Sighing, Pit told her, "Peach, I know that you'd like to try flying, but it isn't really ...viable. For both me and you."

When Peach didn't respond, he continued, "Sorry, Peach, but you know how I can only fly for a short period of time during battles, right?" Peach nodded. "That goes for when I'm outside of battles too. My wings... aren't as developed as some other angels, which is why I use the Wings of Icarus to help me fly for a short while."

"In reality, I can only fly for a few minutes. I hope you understand, Peach, that I probably wouldn't be able to help you... erm, fly, since I'm not proficient at it nor can I sustain myself for that long. I'm sure Meta Knight, Charizard, or even Falco would be happy to bring you along with them when they go flying."

Oddly enough, Peach was smiling this whole time. Pit had expected her to frown, or tears to form in her eyes, as guilty as that would make him feel. Giving him a little tut-tut, Peach wagged a finger at him.

"Oh, don't worry! That's not what I meant by 'flying'..." said Peach serenely. This time it was Pit's turn to be confused.

"What else could you mean by 'flying', then?"

Wiping her hands with a nearby towel, Peach answered, "What else? I mean skydiving, of course!"

"Skydug – What?"

Peach giggled. "You don't know what skydiving is? I'm surprised! Well, let me finish making lunch, and I can show you. And you can show me some of your tricks!" said Peach, taking out a few apples to slice. "That is, if you've got time, of course." she added.

Pit thought for a moment. Was his schedule full today? No, he thought honestly. All he had planned for today was to go sparring with Ike out in the courtyard, and that could be put off. Time wasn't an issue for him; he never ran out of time. After all, he was an angel. And he was intrigued by this 'skydiving' business... There was no water in the sky, that's for sure, so what on earth is this 'skydiving'?

Stepping out of the door, Pit replied, "I've got loads of time. When and where should I meet you?"

"Hm... how about the front lawn? At..." Peach paused to consult the clock above the stove. "Four. Four o'clock today! Oh, and Pit?"

Pit stuck his head back into the kitchen. Peach said a bit anxiously, "I hope you don't mind if I invite some others too, while I'm at it."

He shook his head. "By all means, invite as many as you want. I'll see you at four, then. Thanks again for breakfast, Peach."

"You're too kind. By the way, I'm sorry about staining your clothes," Peach added, frowning at her red fingerprints all over the angel's tunic. Pit glanced down. "Do you want me to take care of that?"

He groaned. "It's... not a problem." mumbled Pit in an effort, as he turned to leave.

* * *

Pit had just finished scrubbing the stains out of his tunic as well as changing into another one when he was about to plop onto the bed, only to realize that it was three minutes until four on his clock.

"I took too long. Great!" Pit said sarcastically, quickly stuffing his tunic into a dresser and running out of his room, clutching Palutena's Bow by his waist.

He arrived at the main doors of the mansion. The foyer was dark and dour, with the sun just peeking from the windows. Giving the doors a slight heave, Pit charged out onto the front lawn. The first thing Pit noticed when he stumbled onto the grass was the large, pink airplane sitting in the middle of the lawn, its wings having the image of a crowned toadstool imprinted on them.

Peach was surrounded by a rather ostentatious group next to the airplane. Walking over, Peach noticed him and waved to him from afar, a cheerful smile upon her face.

"Hello, Pit! I've managed to charter a plane from my kingdom to dock here for a few hours successfully. Master Hand was awfully nice about it. Are you ready to go skydiving?" inquired Peach, trotting over to where Pit stood gazing at the plane dumbly.

Pit was apprehensive of the strange vehicle. Nervous, Pit compromised by nodding his head. Peach clapped her hands in delight, the golden ring on her silk gloves sparkling in the sun.

"Good, good! That settles it. Well then, everyone? Let's get on board!" Peach announced, ushering the crowd of five up onto the airplane.

The three other people Peach had invited seemed to be preselected choices. After all, Pit did mention them earlier. They were : Meta Knight, Falco, and Charizard, whose trainer happily let Peach take him with her for the day. All of them seemed to be nervous and anxious.

"Well, you said that I could ask them if I wanted to go flying, so I did!" Peach whispered to Pit with a sly grin. "Just making sure, you haven't gone skydiving before, correct?"

Pit shook his head. "Oh, don't worry. It's my first time too," chuckled Peach.

Pit was even more worried. Everything that Peach did for the first time... well, seemed to turn out wrong. Pit remembered the time Mario told him the story of the first time Peach had baked a cake for him; it turned out that that was also Peach's first time baking a cake at all! When Pit asked Mario what the cake tasted like, he wouldn't comment, except that it looked very delicious. According to rumors, Peach had accidentally poured detergent into the batter, apparently. Goddess knows what happened when Mario ate a slice...

The plane took off, accompanied by the usual take-off turbulence. Peach was the only one smiling with glee while the other four clung to their armrests for support. As soon as they reached an altitude of three-thousand meters, a spotted Toad came out from the cockpit and motioned for the five passengers to get ready. He opened the passenger door. Bright light and wind poured in.

Peach was the first person by the door. She had her parasol in hand, and changed into an orange jumpsuit. The other four had also changed into jumpsuits equipped with goggles and a backpack. Charizard had a bit of trouble getting into his suit due to his tail setting things on fire, Falco's tail feathers were troublesome to get through the tail-hole, and Meta Knight had to compensate for a loose jumpsuit, due to his size, but all of them managed it in the end.

"Eh... I've done aviation tricks before, miss'um, but skydiving...? Seems like just a flashy way to drop onto to the ground, if you ask me," said Falco, tugging at his suspenders with distaste.

"You mean we're actually going to drop from the plane at this height?" asked Pit disbelievingly, bewilderment etched across his face.

Peach nodded, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "You dive into the sky, that's why it's called skydiving," she explained patiently. "It's an amazing feeling."

Meta Knight shook his cape, which transformed into bat-like wings. "How would you know? You've never skydived before," said Meta Knight somewhat rudely.

"Well, I did get blasted out of a volcano once," Peach recalled. "I floated gently down to land from quite a height... I think that that's similar to skydiving."

The Toad instructor spoke up for the first time. "Princess Toadstool? We're right above the landing."

"Oh! Certainly," said Peach ambiguously, a twinkle in her eyes. Without so much as an indication or warning, Peach tugged on Pit's hand and together they plummeted out of the airplane.

"WHAT?" was all Pit managed to utter before they disappeared. In surprise and on reflex, Pit pulled on Falco's hand as the nearest form of support, which in turn caused him to drag Charizard down, and finally, Charizard's tail swept Meta Knight off of his feet and out of the plane.

"Well. I was going to have them jump out one by one. But this saves time, I suppose," said the Toad instructor, looking down as the five passengers went down screaming hysterically as they dropped. He checked his watch. "It's almost five. Time for a snack."

* * *

Falling down in a star formation, the five skydivers latched onto each others' hands. A few of them screamed as they initially dropped out of the plane, but after soaring through clouds and sky for a few moments, they became quiet, trying to block the air from hitting their faces like concrete to little avail.

Pit relaxed a bit, staring down at the ground below him, which seemed to be getting closer and closer very gradually. Pit wanted to flap his wings, but knew that it was no use when he was falling at this velocity. Skydiving wasn't as crazy as he thought it would be; in fact, Pit would've told Peach that he had gone skydiving before if he was able to. He had to dive through clouds from Skyworld loads of times after receiving a mission or request from Palutena.

In the midst of all this, Peach pulled on Pit's hand. Pit looked over at Peach. She was saying something. But what? Pit couldn't hear her. The sound of the wind rushing around them was too much noise. She smiled. Pit tried to shrug to tell her that he couldn't hear her. She mouthed a few words again, this time slower.

From what Pit could make out, Peach was trying to say to him, "Endless."

Endless? Why would she say that? Pit wondered for a moment. Yes, skydiving did feel like you were falling endlessly, as if trapped in time; just like how it seems time slows down all around you when you tripped on something. What else did it remind him of? He remembered a story he heard on the Overworld; it mentioned a girl falling down a rabbit hole, which seemed to be endless. She just kept falling and falling... This was basically what skydiving is, was that it? You just never stop falling... That you feel as if you were suspended in time.

A revelation suddenly occurred to him. For Pit, that was exactly what his existence was. Never aging. He had an eternity's worth of time on his hands. What could he do? To see those that he cares about fall behind him, and in a way, he was always falling himself. He had accepted this, but never thought about it much before.

Pit glanced at Peach. She was still having the time of her life, enjoying the skydiving immensely. Had he ever smiled as happily as that? He kept having to do military campaigns or go on some sort of trek.

There was one way that he could slow his endless fall, though, he realized.

_I could fly..._

They were approaching the ground. At fifteen-hundred feet, Peach motioned to pull a tab on their backpacks. They all did so, and as they did, large parachutes expanded from the pack until suddenly, quite suddenly, they stopped dropping in mid-air, floating rather gently down to the landing, which was actually Pokémon Stadium 2. Peach swapped her parachute for her parasol, which for some odd reason, allowed her to fall even slower than them with their parachutes on. The image of Peach floating down comically like that reminded him of another story involving a baby-sitting nanny that he heard while traveling through the Overworld.

Once Peach, the last to land, had hit the ground, she shouted joyously to them, "Good heavens! That was so much fun, wasn't it?"

The four breathless and freed captives could only nod, their chests heaving.

"Thanks for coming along today, you guys," said Peach, thanking them with a shake of her hand. "I really enjoyed it. Maybe we can go again sometime."

None of them answered her. Charizard was cuddling the ground, happy to be on solid land again, even if that land happened to transform into a large fan that shoved him back into the air at that moment.

Pit whispered into her ear, "Peach, what were you trying to tell me while we were skydiving?"

Peach gave him a puzzled look. Then it dawned on her what he was talking about. "Oh, that! I was just saying, 'Isn't this delightful?'. Yes, I didn't think you could hear."

"...'Delightful'? Are you sure you said that?" Pit said, disappointed. He was sure that Peach was saying 'endless' to him during the fall.

"I'm positive. What else could I have said?" Peach asked him naughtily, slapping him gently on the shoulder.

"Loads of things..." mumbled Pit, rubbing his arm.

Peach glanced at her watch, which was hidden conspicuously under her left glove. She gasped. "Goodness! It's already six! I'd better go make dinner!"

There were relieved sighs that went all around.

Not at all nonplussed, Peach bade them goodbye with a cheerful wave, her parasol resting on her shoulders. As she was leaving, she told them, "The plane will take you all back to the mansion. I have some of my own shopping to do. Take care then, Pit, Falco, Meta Knight, Charizard! And thanks again for coming with me!"

"No... It's us that should be thanking you," said Pit, waving back at her. He had learned something new today.

* * *

The plane landed back on the front lawn, in the exact same place as where it started. Pokémon Trainer Red was especially relieved to see Charizard alright. Pit walked achingly back up into his room, where the comforts of his bed awaited him. Satisfied, and tired, Pit fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillows, his wings folding behind him.

There was always a little time for some fun.

* * *

A/N : I like this chapter. :) Pit seems to view the world in an easygoing(?) manner, something I could try doing.

I'm going to go back to first-person with Peach next chapter... probably.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed! And I hope I update.

Next character clue : Nice curves (No, not that first thought you think of)


	5. An Unlikely Duo

Thanks again for reviewing, emmy, and JazzGirl123. And for everyone else that read! Here's the next chapter!

* * *

Peach Tree

An Unlikely Duo

People have these sets of ideals that just because one is a princess, they must be dignified, noble, well-mannered, and against any sort of improper conduct. Well, sometimes, assuming views such as those are sometimes quite wrong, quite wrong indeed. "_You can't judge a book by its cover_" is a phrase that's been repeated throughout the generations, and I find often sometimes to be true. No one is ever completely one-dimensional; there's a reason behind everyone's actions, as nonsensical as some may be. While it may not be apparent at first, there will always be little hints that derive the character's true personality, whether it'd be from their way of speaking or responses and reactions. Hence why I disagree with a universal idea of one's behavior and traits based on types of predefined factors.

Of course, I believe that I do fit those stereotypical qualities one often associates with a princess, with the exception of the latter bit : "against any sort of improper conduct". There are times one must make way for chaos and disorder, even though one might initially try to prevent it. Now, you may ask, how on earth could I be a supporter of pointless acts such as those, being a princess and all that...? To be frank, it is simply a part of my personality. Personalities and outward appearances are undeniably different, and often at times contradict with one another.

I am Princess Peach. I am dignified, noble, and well-mannered. I also like to pull pranks.

Is there anything wrong with this picture? From my perspective, no, not at all, because that is who I am. But for those that are not me, which is everybody, this image is rather difficult to conceive. For even that of Mario and Luigi, two of my closest friends in this melting pot of a universe, do not know that certain side of me. Now, it is not as if I enjoy playing tricks on people whenever I have the chance, but just how human (My apologies to non-humans; I am using 'humans' just for context) nature takes advantage of how foolish human nature really is. I, for one, have fallen victim to quite a few pranks as well, to both friends and enemies. The only figure in the mansion who knows this hidden quirk of mine was the one that taught me how to even pull off a prank. Who is that person? Well, let me explain...

* * *

Typically one would find me in the kitchen, preparing for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. On this particular day, however, I was feeling somewhat frisky; I was relieved of kitchen duty today by the Ice Climbers, so I had some extra time to myself. While I was sitting in the study in a comfy plush loveseat, I played with some of the resident Pokémon; Meowth purring in my lap as I petted it and Bellossom dancing right beside the fireplace, making some charming music with its jingling leaves.

_What should I do...? I've already cleaned the mansion two days ago, so I needn't clean until Friday..._ I thought, trying to think of a way to spend my time wisely. _How about knitting? But it's still summer... Maybe I could... Oh, I've got it!_

Standing up, Meowth jumped off of my lap with a scowl as I made towards the door. I gave a hasty goodbye to all of the Pokémon before hurrying off into the corridor towards the east wing, struck by sudden inspiration.

* * *

"There they are!" I observed, barging into the storeroom and spotting an open box on the floor. Inside the box was a bunch of white balls labeled with exclamation marks. I cradled a few into my arms and dashed back out, turning my head from side to side to see if anyone was nearby. Spotting no one, I stepped away from the storeroom sneakily and stealthily, closing the door as quietly as I could and trying to minimize the thumping of my heels on the carpeted floors.

"Sooo, what'cha up to, Miss Peachy?"

"EEYAH!" Shrieking at the sudden voice, I tossed my Pitfalls into the air in surprise as Diddy Kong suddenly dropped down from the ceiling right in front of me, his body suspended by his tail clinging onto a rail.

"D-D-D-Diddy! T-This isn't what it looks like!" I protested pathetically.

"Sure, sure."

Diddy gave me a crafty grin, a plotting one that would have caused me to shudder had I not been frozen on the spot by his sudden appearance. The initial shock had not worn off of me, and I could feel it still showed, as I had the grace to blush and tried to redirect my train of thought.

I heard myself scolding him, "You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that, Diddy."

"Like how you're sneaking around the mansion yourself?" said Diddy snidely.

He was now performing somersaults; using his tail as an anchor, Diddy deftly spun around the rail he clung onto a few times before bouncing back down limply, crossing his arms and staring at me with a satisfied smile. I quickly gathered the Pitfalls back into my arms with the air of someone trying to make a hasty retreat. Thankfully, the Pitfalls didn't activate when they hit the floor, as they usually did. It saved me time from ridding the floor of these traps, as well as saving them from being wasted.

"What I do around this mansion is my own business," I said a bit rudely. "Even if it does involve Pitfalls. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get these back to my room."

"Sure," said Diddy, dropping himself off of the rail and landing on the ground superbly. "I'll escort you."

It was not a question. Nevertheless, I answered him, "Thank you, but I'm fine. I don't consider myself to be so helpless that I can't meander through the halls alone."

Diddy shrugged and tagged along by my side. I made no further objections. Diddy was never one to accede to objections anyway. While we walked through the brightly-lit hallways, Diddy didn't make any comments nor sounds, which was odd, as usually he was this one hyperactive little chatterbox simply would not stop talking once he started. He was even more so of a chatterbox than I am, incredibly. Maybe he was plotting something then, but I had no clue. He relapsed into his old behavior when we were just a bit away from reaching my room.

"Say," Diddy spoke up, right as we reached the door.

"Yes?" I said, trying to handle the doorknob without spilling any of the Pitfalls.

"Say, Peach. Don't you think Swiss cheese is strange?" he asked me with a funny expression. His eyes looked almost cross-eyed for a second.

_What an odd question,_ I thought. _Swiss cheese? That certainly came out of left field... But I should expect that kind of behavior from Diddy by now._

He took my silence as a sign to continue. He explained, "Well, you know how Swiss cheese has holes in it, right?"

"Right..." I was still fumbling with the door. Diddy reached out and opened it for me. "Oh, thanks."

"No prob. So if you have a lot of Swiss cheese, it's going to have a lot of holes in it, right?"

"Mhm."

"But if it has a lot of holes in it, then wouldn't that mean that there would be less cheese?"

"Um... Not necessarily."

Ignoring what I had just said, he purged on, "Therefore, if one has a lot of Swiss cheese, you would have less cheese, going by that logic."

"...What logic?"

"See, isn't it strange?" he asked, ignoring my words still. "The existence of Swiss cheese itself is a bit of a paradox, don't you think?"

"Right." I was still standing outside of my door, feeling awkward with him standing by my side. "Um, Diddy, we've reached my room. Thank you very much for escorting me, but I do not require your services anymore."

Surely Diddy must have gotten that signal! And indeed he did, as he said goodbye to me and that I would be seeing him again later. I suppose one must disregard all subtleties if they wanted to convey a message to the persistent Kong.

_Honestly... Sometimes, I can't figure out who's more oblivious and stubborn, Donkey Kong or Diddy. Then again, there's one that's always more stubborn than those two combined..._

Sighing in relief, I entered my room with much given haste. I placed the Pitfalls gently into an empty flower vase near the door, which might not have been a very good hiding place at the time, but I only needed to stash them away temporarily anyways.

"That dragged on for a bit..." I sighed. "Well, at least I still have barely enough time to carry out my trick."

I was stricken when I realized the importance of the words I had just said. The free time I had been not exactly yearning for, but still anticipating for it all the same, was almost gone. Nana and Popo were likely to have finished cooking the cold dishes by now, and after we finished dinner, it'd be time for me to wash the dishes again. Oh, why did I feel so guilty for some odd reason?

"What are you going to do now?"

I shrieked again, this time even more loudly as the voice had come from the boundaries of my own room! Turning around, I found myself face to face with Diddy Kong, once again. He sure wasn't kidding when he said that we'll be seeing each other again... I just didn't expect it to happen _that_ soon!

"W-W-What? Diddy, why – how did you get in my room?"

Diddy plopped down onto the bed beside me. With a flick of his tail, he responded, "You left the door wide open. If that wasn't an invitation to come in, I don't know what is."

I gaped at him. Of all of the reasons for his intrusion... Well, it was my fault too, I suppose. But honestly! That Kong can be just too domineering for his own good.

Grudgingly, I said, "Fine... I guess you can stay. Just don't touch anything."

"Too late," said Diddy, gesturing to himself sitting on my bed. He walked over to the flower vase and reached into it. Pulling out a Pitfall, he asked me, "So, what are you really going to do with all these Pitfalls?"

I knew that Diddy was going to find out what I planned to do sooner or later. He might have already guessed, and guessed correctly. Diddy was a rather shrewd judge of character; he certainly wasn't as naïve as most people thought he was.

"Well..." I began.

"Yeeeees?"

"Well, I was thinking about having some fun."

"In what way?"

"Well..."

"Stop avoiding the question. And stop saying 'Well...'!" he added.

I glared at him. He should be glad I didn't stiletto kick him out of my room at that second. Nevertheless, I answered him calmly :

"I was thinking of pulling a prank."

Diddy stared at me for a few moments. Then he burst out laughing. The Pitfall in his hand fell to the floor, and disappeared into my carpet with a crackle. I gave a cry of dismay, not only because of the trouble that that was going to cause, but also because he was laughing at me.

"What are you laughing about?"

"It's – the idea of you – snorkle – pulling off a prank!" he managed to say between fits of laughter.

"I haven't pulled it off yet! What's so odd about the idea of me pulling off a prank?"

"It isn't that it's odd – it's because you'd never be able to pull one off!"

I was affronted. I said to him in rebuttal, "Let me guess. It's because I'm a princess, isn't it?"

He ceased laughing. He had a serious look on his face. "No. It's not. I just didn't believe you were capable of the task since you're... pretty airy sometimes. I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't exactly spare my feelings," I said steely, turning away from him. Diddy clapped me on the shoulder. I didn't look back.

"How about I'll ask you this, then?" Diddy asked me, trying to pique my interest. And in a way, it did, as I kept listening. "Why don't I teach you how to pull off a prank?"

He went on, "Keep in mind that I'm not going to be teaching you how to make practical jokes just to poke fun at people. You shouldn't really prank frequently at all, if you want to embarrass someone. There are other ways of doing that. Practical jokes are meant to be just that : practical jokes."

I thought about his offer. After a few moments of consideration, I decided to comply with his offer. Diddy grinned, rubbing his hands together.

"Great! Let's get started, then. What were you originally planning to use the Pitfalls for, as a prank?"

I wondered. What _did_ I have in store for those Pitfalls? I admitted that I wasn't exactly thinking particularly ahead when I obtained the Pitfalls, I only knew that I wanted to use them in some sort of experiment. Diddy shook his head.

"That won't work. You need to plan accordingly," explained Diddy. He glanced at the spot where his Pitfall landed on the floor. "Well, let's make do with what we've got... Here's what you have to do..."

* * *

"Oh, Mario!"

I found Mario walking in the hallway. Rushing over, I asked him :

"Hey, Mario... Do you mind doing a favor for me?"

Mario's mustache bristled, which meant he didn't mind. I continued, "I really have to go wash the dishes. Can you put these flowers into my vase?" I shoved an armful of flowers into his, along with a key card. "It's right next to the door on a table, as soon as you walk in. Here's my card. Thank you, Mario!"

"Oh, and please be careful," I added before leaving.

"Eh?" Mario faced me with a confused look. I gave him a hesitant smile.

"Oh, I wouldn't like you to fall through a hole or anything. I'm remodeling my room, you see."

Mario nodded, befuddled by my words, which he kept in mind as he entered my room. As far as he could tell, my room looked exactly the same as it was yesterday. And it was, with the exception of one thing : a Pitfall trap placed right beside the flower vase. Right when Mario stepped towards the flower vase, his foot stepped on nothing but thin air, and he fell right through the second floor, screaming all the way down until he hit first.

"Whoops," I said, when I heard the faint whistling sound of someone falling through the air, which was accompanied by a bewildered yell that rang throughout the mansion. "Well, I warned him."

* * *

Ever since then, the two of us have been performing pranks behind all of the Smashers' backs, if somewhat sporadically. People always suspect the laughing Kong when they got tricked, but fail to realize sometimes, it's the least likely suspect that's the culprit. And at other times, well, it's the exact opposite; the most obvious choice is the perpetrator. Blend a mixture of both, and what do you get?

One very unlikely duo of pranksters.

* * *

A/N : Yes, Peach is a bit out of character this chapter... But hey, if Peach can be witty and clever in the Paper Mario games, why can't she be like that during her stay at Smash? Sorry if I came off as a bit rude this chapter, what with my chatter on stereotypes and such... They can be true when applied to certain situations, but I'm for one that they shouldn't exist (Even though stereotyping is rather inevitable). Sorry once again for the abrupt scenes. I know that that pitfall trap thing wasn't exactly a 'prank', but I had to make do with what I had, right? I'm not very good at pranking, anyways. Just telling jokes. Well, maybe not that either. This chapter came out a bit more serious than I thought it would be, but then again, most of them are.

Looks like Diddy is Peach's partner in pranking. Or is it the other way around?

Hope you enjoyed, and I hope I update~

_Next character clue : Pearly Whites_

I also want to make my chapters a bit better in terms of depth, so wish me luck!


	6. Take a Breather

Thanks so much for reviewing, JazzGirl123, emmy, Sonar, Sweswe, MonkeyKingXIII, and The Legend of Rune Factory! I'm sorry for the long(er) update. Hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Peach Tree

Take a Breather

Winter was an awfully good get-away season. The steam that appears from hot steaming mugs of cocoa and tea and condensates on frozen windows; how unbelievably pleasant it was to someone like Princess Peach, the heiress of all tea parties and indoor social gatherings. Not to mention the cheer winter brought with its multitude of holidays. Winter wasn't as gloomy of a season as it seemed, and Peach managed to prove that, always finding some way to be cheerful during those long cold weeks. Then again, she was almost always cheerful, all-year round.

Today was just one of those indoor days that cropped up frequently in winter; it was snowing heavily outside, and all battles were canceled. The Smashers had the day off, and Peach celebrated the rare occurrence by hosting another one of her muggy, excessively pink tea parties.

"Please, won't you have some more tea?" Peach asked Pichu, one of her three Pokémon invitees today.

Peach already had her hands on the lid of her teapot as she said these words, a gaily grin on her face. Pichu accepted her offer, pushing the cup towards her meekly with tiny pawing hands. The teacup was slowly filled, a steady stream of steam pouring out of it as it did.

"Oh, it looks like you could use a refill too, Pikachu," noticed Peach, directing the spout towards his direction.

Pikachu wanted to protest, but Peach had already begun to pour tea into his cup. He sat down and folded his arms in a somewhat surly manner until she was finished, when Peach tackled Jigglypuff next.

"Jigglypuff," Peach addressed, facing Jigglypuff across the table. She was about to ask Jigglypuff if she needed more tea, but frowned as she noticed the cup sitting in front of her was completely filled and hadn't been touched at all.

"Are you... enjoying your tea?" the princess asked, bending forward looking slightly hurt with her bottom lip quivering. Nobody has ever refused to take a sip of her lovely peach-infused tea blend.

Jigglypuff's dinner-plate sized eyes widened at the sight of her puppy-dogged look, and she quickly nodded her head. Peach immediately sat up straight and smiled, peeking at her with expectant eyes. Jigglypuff gulped. She knew what to do... or what she _had_ to do to please Peach lest she become dismayed again.

Grasping the sides of the teacup with both hands, Jigglypuff lifted it over her head and opened her mouth. Shutting her eyes tightly, she tilted the cup upside-down and poured the cup's entire essence down her throat. Good thing the tea was cooled down when she poured it.

While Jigglypuff was struggling to swallow the extremely sweet beverage with Peach watching her with glittering eyes, Pikachu whispered to Pichu, "I think I understand how Peach got Fox to drink her tea on the battlefield now..."

After gulping the last bit of tea down with inflated cheeks, the Balloon Pokémon gave the princess a thumbs-up. Peach looked heartened, and refilled Jigglypuff's cup once more.

Jigglypuff had to speak up at this point, trying to halt the incoming teapot as she made her decision.

"P-Peach! I enjoyed your tea very much, it was very aromatic and I loved the infusion of herbs. I'd love to have more, but – " started Jigglypuff, but those words were all Peach needed to hear to continue with her frenzied tea-pouring. Jigglypuff pushed her hands away.

"But please, Princess Peach, I do not want any more tea!" Jigglypuff finished, strained, having successfully knocked back the teapot, causing a bit of tea to spill onto Pichu's saucer. Peach gasped, shocked and stunned by this not-so-reticent action.

There was a moment of painful silence before Peach broke it.

"W-Why not?" Peach asked, her bottom lip quivering once more.

Jigglypuff slapped her forehead and drew her hand across her face with a stubby arm. There was no use avoiding the question. She tried to think up of a plausible excuse within a few frantic seconds.

"Ehm, I'm just a little bit... hot right now, having drank all of that tea really raised my temperature," Jigglypuff lied a bit excessively. The tea was perfectly tolerable when she downed it all in one gulp. Jigglypuff was pleasantly surprised when she saw that Peach swallowed the lie. She was gullible, alright.

Peach's eyes lit up. Setting down the teacup onto the doily-covered tea table, Peach jumped out of her seat and went to the window, sparking the attention of Pikachu and Jigglypuff. Pichu was distracted as he tried to wipe away the tea in his saucer with a handkerchief.

"Is that all you're bothered by? Well, I can make that problem disappear," declared Peach, pushing back the curtains.

As she was unlocking the window latches, Peach said absentmindedly, "I know that sometimes the atmosphere of the room gets a bit steamy whenever I throw a tea party, and it's my fault for turning the radiator up, but you all could have just said that you wanted a bit more fresh air... A-ha!" Peach threw the window up, letting in the chilling wind and snow outside into the room. The three Pokémon shrieked at the sudden cold.

"There! Doesn't that feel much better?" Peach said, putting her arms to her hips with an aura of content and completion.

"Pi-Pi-Pichu!" Pichu squealed in discomfort as he ducked under the table.

"A-Agh! N-No! It's too cold!" Jigglypuff exclaimed, covering her eyes.

"No, it's... It's SHEER COLD!" corrected Pikachu, when suddenly a big chunk of snow hit him in the face, promptly causing him to faint and fall out of his chair with big, swirly eyes.

"Pi-Pichu!" cried a shocked Pichu, who ran over and began fanning him with his tea-stained handkerchief.

Tablecloths, teacups, and saucers were being uprooted from their plates and flying around the room. Jigglypuff tried to block the incoming wind from blowing her away, but failed and flew and landed against the wall, her limbs stretched apart.

Indignant and straddled with rage, Jigglypuff shouted out in her hyper voice, "PEACH! Close that window THIS INSTANT!"

Peach, who was befuddled by the fact that all three Pokémon were fazed by the rejuvenating breeze, did as she was told and shut the window. After things had calmed down a bit, Jigglypuff got up from the table.

Panting, Jigglypuff said, "P-Peach. That's enough!"

Peach looked around the room, which was strewn with shattered china and fluttery cloth by the chaotic winds that wreaked havoc just but a few seconds ago.

"Oh... dear." was all Peach managed to say. Jigglypuff and Pichu gave Peach looks of faint contempt, with Pikachu still fainted on the floor.

"I ….apologize! I didn't realize that I had gone... overboard," Peach said, bringing her hands up to her mouth, and then to her eyes, stricken with herself.

Jigglypuff scraped a red shard of a broken teacup off of the floor. Tossing it into a nearby wastebasket, Jigglypuff said harshly :

"You need to learn not take so much initiative all the time, Peach."

Peach rubbed the back of her arm sheepishly, not wanting to make eye-contact with Jigglypuff. Peeking from the corners of her eyes, Peach noticed that Pichu was still struggling to wake Pikachu up, waving his handkerchief in a futile effort.

A first-aid kit rested on top of Peach's dresser, of which Peach picked a green-colored mushroom out of. Pichu looked up when Peach walked over to him. Handing the mushroom out, Peach said :

"Um, I have a 1-Up Mushroom here, if you need it..."

Pichu waved his hand appreciatively, but shook his head negatively. Jigglypuff, who was sweeping up the shards of broken china with a dustpan and broom, intercepted.

"That will never do. Pokémon can only be revived by yellowish item crystals called Revives," explained Jigglypuff.

"Oh... A Revive? Well, I think I have one of those too," said Peach, depositing the 1-Up into the first-aid kit in exchange for a yellow piece of what seemed to be sugar candy. "I picked up a few from a traveling salesman on the way to Smash Mansion, and thought it might come in handy..."

The two Pokémon were speechless. Jigglypuff said, "That's it, alright... Better go give it to him." She pointed to Pikachu.

Peach plopped the crystal into Pikachu's gaping mouth. The three of them crouched around Pikachu, watching him attentively for any sign of reaction. Sure enough, after a few seconds, Pikachu stirred and was back on his feet, feeling dazed and confused. He shook his tail to rid the specks of snow that still resided on it.

"Pichu!" Pichu squeaked, hugging Pikachu by his waist.

"I guess I got knocked out..." said Pikachu abashedly, patting Pichu's head gently with one hand.

"Oh! I am overjoyed to see that you're alright, Pikachu!" Peach said, clasping his hands in hers. "I'm very sorry for my... frivolity today. I'm usually not like this, but it was a snow day, and as you all may know, I rarely ever get a chance to host a tea party during the winter, and I wanted to make everyone a bit more – "

"It's fine, Peach," said Pikachu, cutting her off. Pichu had gotten up from his lap and was starting to help Jigglypuff clean up the room. "Really. You don't have to apologize. You had good intentions."

Peach twiddled her thumbs. "I still feel guilty, though," Peach said in a small voice, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "Today's tea party didn't really come out the way I wanted it to. I pride myself in my tea parties, and yet everything has been ruined..."

"Things don't always come out the way you want to," said Jigglypuff, waddling over and handing Peach a dustpan and broom. Pikachu and Pichu were already sweeping up the floor in front of them.

Peach looked down, a tear dripping down her cheek. Jigglypuff stared right back at her, the pearly whites of her eyes reflected in her own widened, blue irises.

Clenching her fists, Peach said determinedly, "Yes. You're right, Jigglypuff. Things _don't_ always end up the way you want them to be... And that's why..."

"...You always get up and try again," Jigglypuff finished for her, smiling. Peach's mouth was left open, but she closed it and nodded.

With an expression full of nothing but pink-faced benevolence and vigor, Peach sang out, "Let's get this room nice and tidy, shall we?"

* * *

After managing to sweep most of the shattered shards of china and gathering the scattered cloths back together, as well as Pikachu fainting once more after having tripped over a small mound of snow and hitting his face on the floor, the three Pokémon departed, with Peach waving heartily at them. Once Pikachu and Pichu stumbled a good distance along the corridor, Jigglypuff stayed behind them and stopped. Without turning around, Jigglypuff sang in a lovely, melodious voice :

_I believe in second chances,_

A gasp escaped from Peach. She knew exactly where those lyrics came from, and the person in Smash Mansion that had sung it to her for the first time. Peach finished the sentence with her own calming voice :

_And that's why I believe in you._

Satisfied, Peach walked back into her room. It was still warm and muggy, the odor of tea leaves still lingering about in the air. There was not a trace of stray leaves and snow having fallen in but just an hour ago. Feeling tired and sleepy, Peach slipped out of her heels and dropped into her bed, snuggling into the warmth-inducing blankets, dreaming of how she could arrange a tea party tomorrow.

After all, the forecast did say that it was going to snow all week.

* * *

A/N : Oh gosh, I couldn't resist that Sheer Cold joke. I'm so sorry, that was probably the cheesiest line I've ever written, ehe. Then again, I've written cheesier lines, now that I think about it...

As you may have noticed, Pichu doesn't speak this chapter (Not that he had many speaking lines in the first place); I wanted to have the earliest evolution form of a Pokémon not be able to, since, well, they're still growing up, aren't they? (Squirtle might become an exception...)

And I'm so sorry for not updating as quick as my other updates have been! This chapter may have been a bit on the short side as well... Hm, I'll try and think of deeper ideas to cover! Thanks again to all of my faithful reviewers and readers!

I hope you enjoyed, and I hope I update!~

_Next character clue : Beanie_


	7. Game, Set, and Match

Thanks for reviewing, The Legend of Rune Factory, JazzGirl123, emmy, MonkeyKingXIII, and transformersjunkie! Not to mention all of the readers! Sorry for the late update, I've been busy lately. But here's the next chapter!~

Peach Tree

Game, Set, and Match

It was a raging battle between me, the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach, versus the great King Dedede, alleged ruler of the planet Pop Star. We were engaged in the most tumultuous of fights, each of us not being able to gain the upper hand. King Dedede's almighty control over his subjects overwhelmed me as I had tried to fend off a blow against my crown with a feeble movement. The hit landed, and it fell to the ground. I fell to the ground myself, and I felt faint.

King Dedede loomed over me, the crook of his face blocked by the shadow of the large hammer resting on his shoulders. The gold-plated jewel that rested on top of his winter hat glinted in the sunlight, blinding me even further. Even though I couldn't tell what expression he was making, I had an faint idea that he was leering, jeering at me. I couldn't stand it. I had to make my move now, and give in to his pressuring presence.

Biting my lip, I raised an arm weakly, only to realize that I didn't have a chance of blocking his attack. I tried to escape by moving behind, when I noticed that I had nowhere else to go. I was backed up against a what seemed to be a checkered wall : cold, lifeless, and uninviting, each option crossed out. Trying not to show plead in my eyes, I turned away from him. King Dedede began chortling, a husky warble whose sound sent a chill running down my spine.

"Not so dignified now, eh, Princess?" said King Dedede, his large orange-gloved hand reaching forward.

This was it, I thought. This was the end. There was no way out. I took a deep breath.

The King's gloved hand grabbed a hold of a black, tiara-bearing figure, and dragged it three spaces diagonally across a square surface. Feeling a sense of incoming triumph, as soon as King Dedede let go of the piece, he stood up from his chair and twirled his hammer around while whooping in victory. My white, crowned king was surrounded by his black rook and queen, sealing my fate.

"Haha! That's CHECK and MATE, Princess," King Dedede gleefully spat in my face.

"The winner of this match is King Dedede!" declared Master Hand, who was wearing a black bow-tie and functioning as the referee. He waved a little white flag in King Dedede's direction. "Next match, Zelda versus Ness!"

That was it. Our game of contested chess was over. The crowd watching our heated battle clapped with energy at the game's end, some of them catcalling and cheering our names. I sighed, feeling relieved that the game was over. I felt a hand tapping me on my shoulder. Turning around, I found King Dedede with his hand out. I took it, and he pulled me up out of my seat.

Shaking my hand regally and patting my back a little bit too hard, King Dedede rumbled, "Good game, Princess."

I tried my best to give him a serene smile, still unnerved by my loss as well as his sportsmanship.

"Yes, good game, King Dedede," I said.

King Dedede walked away from me, standing up straight with a powerful sense of nobility that I had never noticed before. Maybe it was just his arrogance, I wondered. Suddenly, I found myself standing alone in the middle of the playing field, awfully sensitive of my own presence. I quickly went towards the stands.

Today was the fabled Chess tournament that took place in the Smash Mansion every year. Master Hand suggested that it would be nice to have an activity that didn't involve physical violence, and uncannily decided that chess would be the sport chosen. Some of us were apprehensive of this notion at first, due to a few of the inhabitants not having even heard of the name of the game. Once we learned the basics, however, all of us took at least a slight interest in it and participated in the tournament, bar some of the younger inhabitants. This year, we had quite a few newcomers, and they had joined in on the tournament too. There was a slight debate about R.O.B. being able to join in on the tournament, being a robot and all, but it was ruled in his favor in the end.

Hence why I was unnerved by my loss. King Dedede was a newcomer to the mansion, and therefore was most likely new at chess. I wasn't very skilled at chess myself, but that didn't mean that I should rule out the possibility of King Dedede going past my level in the game. But I guess that it was time for someone to knock me out of my throned seat, what with the assumption that all newcomers were less skilled than I am. That was what made me ignorant, or part of it anyways, and attributed to my defeat.

Taking my place in the stands, I watched the match between Zelda and Ness for a few minutes before feeling my aching pains. My brain was still suffused with thoughts of chess and strategy, and I simply had to get away from the suspenseful crowd for a bit and relax myself, or so I call it, taking a breather. I tried not to attract any attention, not that the crowd would've paid attention to me, with them being so involved in the match.

Before I had managed to make a quick getaway though, a hand clapped me on my shoulder to prevent me from going any further. I whirled around, feeling dazed, startled, and somewhat annoyed... Only to find myself face-to-face with none other than King Dedede once more.

"Princess. Can you come with me for a second?"

Trying to find the energies to respond, I said weakly, "Ah... Does it have to be now? I'm still rather tired from the match, you see."

King Dedede let go of my shoulder and raised his hands up, as if he were being shot with a spotlight for those being put under arrest.

"I apologize. Are you sure you can't come?"

"No, I'm not feeling very well. I also apologize for not being graced with a chance to come."

"What a funny expression! Very well, then..."

I thought he was going to let me leave just then, but I should have known that he wasn't going to, as he hadn't said good-bye to me yet. With a surprisingly fast action for one of his size, King Dedede grabbed me by my wrist with a firm grip, and in an equally firm voice, he said :

"Please, come with me, Princess."

"Wha – ?" I said in confusion, trying to wrest myself away on sheer reaction. "What? No!"

A glint appeared in King Dedede's eyes. Smirking slightly, he yanked me straight off of the grassy ground, knocking the breath out of me. I gasped at this cavalierly act.

"Please, I insist!" he said, dashing away towards the tennis courts at a mad trot. He didn't give me a chance to respond.

It seemed that I was being kidnapped again. If not kidnapping, then I was still being taken against my will. I could only fold my arms and put on the fiercest looking scowl that I could manage, with my head throbbing all the while.

* * *

"...What do you have in mind with taking me to the tennis courts, King Dedede?"

I was outfitted in my 'go-to' sports uniform I had brought along : a pink tank top, pink shorts, and a pair of pink-laced tennis shoes, with my hair tied into a ponytail in the back. My head still hurt, and I was angry and confused in my current situation.

"What do you think?" King Dedede chided me. "To play tennis, of course."

"...Tennis?" I mumbled. Yes, of course we would play tennis at a tennis court, but why King Dedede wanted to, I had no idea. I should have phrased my question better.

"I've always liked to partake in a physical activity after thinking for a while," said King Dedede, who had swapped his mallet for a tennis racquet and was polishing it with a golden mitt. How he could stand to wear a fur-lined robe and a beanie on in this weather, I had no clue.

"Nothing like a good game of tennis to settle down. Are you ready, Princess?"

I was staring blankly in front of me, lost in thought, or lack of thought, maybe, before shaking my dazed head. I replied, "Err, yes, I'm... ready."

"Good. Where's your racquet?"

"My... my racquet?"

"Yes, your racquet. Don't you use one in your fights all the time, along with a golf club and frying pan?"

It took a few seconds for me to realize his meaning. "Oh! _That_ racquet."

I whipped it out. Somehow, even after hitting robots and armored suits on the head with it, the racquet was still in top condition. It was just a spare racquet that I had; the one that I used in tournament matches was left at home. I didn't think that I would actually play a game of tennis with it.

"Um, I suppose I'm ready now," I said, staring at the racquet in my hand uncomfortably. "What do you suggest to be the terms of the match?"

"Good," King Dedede repeated. "As for the terms, let's have a normal match, three sets with two games a set, is that alright?"

"That sounds reasonable," I replied.

"Hoho. I can't wait to see how well I fare against the queen of the court," King Dedede said slyly, walking over to his side of the court as I took my place as well.

"'Queen of the court'? Don't make me laugh. I'm nowhere near as good to be called by that title," I said, feeling excited for the match. I did feel a bit better already, but that may just be because I haven't played a tennis match in quite some time.

"I'll serve, then," said King Dedede, tossing the tennis ball up into the air before bringing his racquet down with a sharp slice, sending the ball careening into my side of the court.

I was caught-off guard by the power of his serve and barely managed to save it in time, diving for it with a lunge. King Dedede returned with a lob, a foolish move on his part, as it allowed me some time to recover. Taking aim, I backed up a bit so I could hit the ball, and whacked it hard. King Dedede didn't seem fettered at all and received my shot effortlessly.

The volley went on for some time, before I had managed to claim my first point. Without a scorekeeper or referee this time around, we had to keep score ourselves. King Dedede was a bit shocked at this point loss, but regained his stance and served once more. I returned his serve backhandedly, sending it to the far side of the court. King Dedede, knowing that he wasn't going to make it with his low speed, stretched out his arm as far as he could, hitting the ball and sending it in a strange trajectory back to me.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, after having dived for the ball and missed it by mere inches.

"That ties up the score," King Dedede said with a chuckle. "Fifteen all!"

He's better than I thought, I'll give him that. Not to mention he beat me at chess... I was wondering at how far King Dedede's range of expertise extended to; he seemed to be skillful at both chess and tennis, or at least he has had some practice in the past. We continued to play, each of us making fast volleys both up and behind the net, neither finding it easy to score a point on the other.

I laid a drop shot that let across the net which King Dedede wasn't able to save in time.

"The first set goes to me, then!" I said, smiling at my victory. King Dedede had put up a fight, though, only losing to me by two points and one game away from a tiebreaker.

"Very nicely played," said King Dedede. He was sweating a bit now from the intensity of the match, but still refused to take off his coat and bobbed hat.

King Dedede was right, though. My head did stop throbbing after we were a few minutes into the game, and I found myself becoming more and more refreshed by the second, if that made any sense. Which it probably didn't, since we were running around everywhere and tired as heck.

It was his turn to serve. King Dedede launched the ball into the air, and with a movement reminiscent of his first serve in the match, he sliced the ball at a surprisingly fast speed, exemplifying once more his strangely unfitting agility for a penguin of his bulk.

I managed to reach the ball in time, at the cost of stumbling and almost landing on my side. That stumble was all King Dedede needed to capitalize on the situation and smash the ball back towards the opposite end of the court. There was no hope of me reaching that within the allotted time.

"Fifteen – Love," King Dedede announced.

The match went on for some bit of time before I finally managed to reach the match point, winning the game with two sets. Both of us were tired and drank a bottle of water before sitting down on a bench, our chests heaving.

"Good game," King Dedede said. "A well-deserved win."

King Dedede wiped his brow with a handkerchief and took out his other hand, wanting to shake with me again. I accepted, my face still flushed from the match.

"Yeah, good game," I replied, panting slightly. "How did you learn to play tennis like that? The only people that I've seen play that good were people from my own kingdom."

"Have you played against other people from other kingdoms?" King Dedede asked me with a wry smile.

I was quiet and didn't know how to respond. He had me there.

"I... I guess I haven't," I said. King Dedede chuckled again in his husky warble. This time, it didn't send shivers down my spine.

"It's all about practice, you know. I wasn't too good at tennis when I first started," said King Dedede, putting his hands on the bench. "In fact, I never even knew about its existence until Kirby returned from his trip to Smash Mansion and told me all about it, way back."

"I instituted the building of many different sports domes around Pop Star. It took me a while to learn the basics from Kirby, but once I got the gist of it, I found it to be fun and practiced a few hours every week or so," King Dedede continued.

King Dedede sighed. He gave me a nervous smile and said, "I was very excited when I learned how to play. I went to challenge Kirby immediately, wanting to test my skills against him once and for all. The first time I challenged Kirby to a match of tennis, I lost."

"Really?" I said, surprised. "You seem to be able to learn new things rather easily and quickly. I mean, you beat me at chess, even though it was you were still new to the sport. I've been playing chess for well over a year."

King Dedede chuckled again. He said, "Like I said, it's all about practice. I managed to beat you in chess simply because of the lesson I learned after losing to Kirby when he shook my hand."

"And that lesson was...?"

"He told me that I didn't practice enough. Even though I understood the rules of the game and could perform basic shots in tennis, it still wasn't enough against him, he said. He had more time and practice than I did, playing against Mario himself, who taught him the sport." said King Dedede, as a crowd of cheers erupted from the soccer fields, where the match that might have been between Zelda and Ness finally ended.

"So I learned from my mistakes and practiced more, going back into that few hours a week routine I had told you about earlier. It took me a while, but after a few months and a rematch against Kirby, I finally won."

"Wow," I whispered. "I... I don't think that I've dedicated myself that much to any given sport... I only played chess very occasionally, and didn't practice it daily." Not to mention that I never knew that Mario had taught Kirby how to play tennis, but I kept that bit of newly discovered knowledge to myself.

"You don't have to practice every day," King Dedede told me. "You just need motivation to get better when you do practice, even if it's once a month. It becomes easier for the information to get ingrained into your mind, for me, at least."

"Yes, it does help if you're motivated," I said with a laugh. "I've never been very fond of chess myself, and while it was exciting to play in the tournament each year in the Smash Mansion, I can't say that I tried to learn new techniques while preparing."

King Dedede chuckled with me. I looked at him. Once more, I found out a different side of someone. It's hard, understanding someone that you've barely even met. Even though King Dedede was supposedly the villainous ruler of his kingdom, he certainly has more than one good side to him. He definitely wasn't the rude and intimidating person he was while we were playing the chess match. Quite the opposite, in fact. Rather like another infamous villain in my own kingdom.

"So," I started, nudging him slightly. "What was your reason in challenging me to a tennis match? Did you really want to challenge me to a game?"

This time King Dedede was the one that was surprised. "No," he said. "Didn't you remember what I told you when I first brought you here?"

"What you told...? Oh! You mean, the relaxation treatment?"

"Yeah, that."

"Oh..." I checked my head and found out that I was completely devoid of all aches and throbs. I noticed it earlier, while we were playing in the match, but I didn't really take note of it entirely until he mentioned it.

"You're right... I do feel much better now! I didn't think that it'd actually work."

"Why not?" he asked me, looking slightly offended by the fact that someone would deny the credibility of his claims. (It wasn't like we didn't have a reason to, though.)

"Well, mainly because we were still exerting energy from both the body and the brain while playing. That would mean we would become more tired, wouldn't it? Not less. It doesn't seem very logical."

"It's a lot more logical than all that baloney therapists tell you to do when you have headaches, folding paper origami or going into a sauna and all that. Reverse psychology, that's what I believe," King Dedede said confidently.

"...Right."

I didn't really get what he was saying, but at least his method still worked, even if it wasn't all that reasonable. Standing up, I put my racquet into my duffel bag and carried it on my shoulder. He stood up as well. I suppose I had to thank him, for relieving my brain, even though he took me with him against my will and I could have charged him for that.

"Yes, well, thank you, King Dedede, for your help and lovely words of insight," I said, taking my hand out.

King Dedede's eyes widened a bit, but he accepted my handshake all the same. "Words of insight? That's a rare compliment for me. I'm glad that I was able to help."

I couldn't help but smile. I could tell my smile looked much better than that painful grimace back at the chess match, as King Dedede smiled back at me in return.

The intercoms placed on the mounted referee chair rang out right at that moment, breaking our awkward and prolonged handshake.

"King Dedede, King Dedede, please report to your next match at the chess courts. King Dedede, please report to your next match at the chess courts."

"Oh, it looks like your next match is coming up," I said to him.

King Dedede nodded. He turned and was getting ready to leave. Flicking the cotton-ball tip of his cap, he said, "Wish me luck. Even though I probably won't need it."

A drop of sweat ran down my face. Yup, he was still overbearing and confident, all right.

"Good luck," I called back.

"Let's have another match sometime," I heard King Dedede say.

I was puzzled by this response. I shouted, "Another match? Of tennis, or chess?"

"Both," he said simply.

"Oh! Alright, then." I said in reply. As he headed toward the chess courts, I quickly ran to the Smash Library, wanting to check out some books.

I had a lot of practice to do, if I wanted to get better.

* * *

A/N : Yes, some of these little stories aren't in chronological order. They're one-shots, after all. I guess that's part of the freedom of creating one-shots; they're stuck in their own little universe, in a way. I don't think that it was very noticeable, though.

As for the topic of this chapter itself, I'm not very good at chess nor tennis. Checkers is a different story. And I prefer badminton over tennis. I'm no good at sports with round objects! ^^'

And yay for attempts with creating dialogue and scene changing flow...

Forgot the next chapter clue : All for one and One for all?


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